Finding Your Place As A Music Fan
So, you like music do you? Then you’ve probably wondered to yourself, “Just how much do I really like music?” This handy guide will help you answer that burning question and identify your place in the Music Fan hierarchy.
Note: This guide does not include people who are indifferent to music or, worse, think that music is evil (Sadly, I’ve known several people like this from my time growing up in the South). So, with all that out of the way, let’s find where you rank on this list!
- THE PASSIVE MUSIC FAN
The Passive Music Fan is aware of the biggest hits or songs that are featured in movies or TV shows. If you are in this category, “Hey, I know this song!” is the beginning of most of your short conversations about music. You may know some of the most popular bands or singers, but you can recall the name of the song much more often than the name of the person who’s singing it. In all honesty, you will probably never even read this article, but I promise not to take it personally.
- CASUAL MUSIC FAN
The Casual Music Fan has a bigger emotional investment in music, at least in their teenage years. If you fall into this category, you probably still have several records/cassettes/CDs in a box somewhere in storage. At one point in time, you wore a band t-shirt or had a poster of a popular group hanging on your bedroom wall. You can identify many bands or singers when you hear them, and you certainly know when you hear your favorites on the radio. You’re up to go to a concert, but only if someone invites you to attend – and the nosebleed seats will be just fine, thanks.
- MUSIC APPRECIATOR
The Music Appreciator makes an effort to seek out specific music, and they pay close attention to the music and the words. If this is you, then you likely know the names of members of your favorite bands, and probably even the names of people in bands that you’re not a big fan of. You really dig your favorite bands, but you can’t be bothered to keep up with which song is on which album. You’re happy to go see your favorite bands in concert, so long as it’s not too inconvenient and you don’t have to wake up early the next day.
- MUSIC AFICIONADO
Now we’re getting into the deep end of the Music Fan pool! If you’re a Music Aficionado, then you know the band, the singer, the songwriter, the name of the album, the year it came out, and maybe even the chart position. You consider yourself somewhat of a critic, always seeking out someone to converse (or argue) music with. Maybe you’ve considered the difference in sound quality between vinyl records and CDs – you probably even have a decent stereo system that you can crank up when you’re in the mood. You go see live music quite often, sometimes even if you’ve never heard of the band.
- MUSIC CREATOR (OR YOU SHOULD BE ONE!)
If you have ever played a musical instrument or sung in front of people, then you have already crossed the threshold between Music Fan and Music Creator. The dream of being on stage proved too strong of a desire for you, so you decided one day to just “go for it.”
Keeping the Dream alive is part of your lifestyle, even if you can’t pursue it every moment of the day. When you can’t play music – because of that pesky day job or those pesky kids – you sing along in the car or air guitar (only at stop lights, please!) When you’re not playing your own shows, you attend live music events to check out the scene, compare your own skills (let’s be honest, now), and check out all the music gear on stage.
If you sound like a Music Creator – except for the fact that you’ve not played music in front of people (yet!) – then there is help for you! Check my Bio for my contact info and get in touch if you’d like some help with this unfulfilled part of your Musical Life.
CONCLUSION
With the advent of streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music, as well as the millions of hours of music videos and recorded concerts available on Youtube, now is probably the easiest time in all of human history to be – at the very least – a true Appreciator of music. Furthermore, if you aspire to be a Music Aficionado or Music Creator, then there really is no time like Right Now to become it! So, what are you waiting for?
